Joint clamp



Oct. 23, 1928.

S. A. JONES JOINT CLAMP Filed Feb. 6, 1928 Qmurm 5/0a'nA.-J0ne5 AAM-1?@ Patented Get. 23, 1928.

iiNiiE-DA STATES rSLOAN A. JONES, OF SPRINGVILLE, ALABAlMIA.A

, JOINT CLAMP.

Application filed February 6, 19.28. Serial No. 252,210.

My invention relatesto joint clamps for railroad railsand has for its object the piovision of 'a device of the character designated which shall be simple of construction, easy oi manufactureand which shall afford a combined clamping and supporting structure for thejoint.

A further object oi" my invention is to provide an improved joint ciamp for railroad rails which shall be particularly effective for supporting and clamping the joint on curved track and which shall embody a cooperating rail anchoring means. 1

A more specificv object of my inventionis to provide a joint clamp for railroad rails supported on spaced cross-ties and which shall embody a joint support and clamp combined with improved rail anchoring means whereby relative movement of the rail ends is minimized and the rails are securely anchored against lateral displacement on the ties.

As is well known in the art to which my invention relates, the greatest difficulties in railroad trackmaintenance occur in the rail joints. Unless the rail ends at the oints are firmly held against relative movement, the ends of the joints may become battered by the passing of the locomotive and car wheels thereover. Also, where relative displacement occurs and one rail end extends laterally beyond the other, the flanges of the wheels passing thereover are liable to catch on the protruding end and cause derailment. This danger is especially existant on curved track on the outside rail of the curve where the pressure of the flanges against the sides ofV extending beyond the base of the rail on the opposite side. A cooperating angle bar is applied to the opposite side of the rail and has a lower ange extending beyond the base of the rail and resting upon the base member from the opposite angle bar. U bolts pass beneath the rail and connect the angle bars and j base plate together and afford additional sup port for the joint, while the usual track bolts extend through the angle bars and rail to unite the oint. In addition toV all this I pro vide a rail anchor cooperating with the first mentionedangle bar and firmly secured to the ties. Connecting bolts extend through the upper end of the rail anchor, the angle bars and the rail to form a completely braced unitary structure. I

A device embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a [part ofv this application, wherein Fig. 1v is a perspective view of a rail embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1. f

Referring now to the ydrawing for a better understanding of my invention, I show, in Fig. 1, a jointcomprising meeting rails 10 and V11. As viewed in Fig. 1, the side of the jointin the foreground is the outer side of the track .with the pressure of the railway vej oint hicle wheel flanges passingr thereover acting in the direction of the arrow A. Hereafterin this specification, the side of the rails or joint in the foreground of Fig. 1 will be referredV to as the outside, and the opposite side will be referred to as the inside.

On the outside of the rails, at the joint, I provide an angle bar 12 having a lower flange portion 13 extending beyond the base 14 of the rail and bent back, as shown, under the rail 10 to form a base plate 16 which eX- tends entirely across beneath the rails beyond the base on the inside thereof. The rails 10 and 11 rest on spaced cross-ties 17 and 18 andthe base plate 16 extends from tie to tie beneath the rail joint so as to form a support for the joint and prevent relative vertical movement between the rail ends.

On the inside of the rail I provide an angle bar 21 having a ,lower flange portion 22, the lower flange portion being provided with an extension 23 which rests on the'base plate member 160i the angle iron 12. In order to provide additional support for the ends of the y rails I provide holes on opposite sides of the rails in the flanges of the angle bars at 24 and 26, Fig. 3, and connect the angle bars by means of U bolts 27 and 28 passing beneath the rails. The angle bars are connected to the rails by the usual track bolts 29.

In order to support the joint against lateral displacement on the ties 17 and 18 I provide rail anchors 31 and 82. The rail anchors 31 and 32 are made from rolled or pressed shapes to conform to the contour of the angle iron 12 and are each provided with an outwardly extendingfoot 33 having holes for the insertion of spikes B4. The upper ends of the anchors are provided .with holes 36 which come opposite holes 37 extending through both of the angle irons and through the rail whereby they all may be connected and tightly bolted together by means of track bolts 38.

The angle irons and anchors employed in my improved joint clamp are especially adapted for easy manufacture as they may be rolled out and pressed to shape and do not require special casting operations or cutting and wasting of material such as is the case with joint clamping means with which I have heretofore been familiar. The angle iron 12 being disposed on the outside of the rail and having the base plate 161 integral therewith prevents relative lateral displacement of the rail ends due to pressure on the inside and the U bolts 27 and 28 connecting the opposed angle bars beneath the joint, form a unitary supporting structure, simpler and stronger than any with which I have heretofore been familiar. Furthermore, the rail anchors 31 and 32, bolted through the angle bars and rail and securely fastened to the ties, prevent lateral displacement of the joint as a Whole and consequent spreading of the track.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have devised an improved rail joint, simple of construction, easy of manufacture and effective to provide a unitary joint structure wherein lateral displacement of the joint or its componentparts is prevented.

lVliile I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those rskilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as ai'e imposed by the prior art or as are spcilically set forth in the appended claim.

That I claim is:

In a joint clamp for railroad rails resting on spaced cross-ties, an angle bar for the out-side of the joint and having a flange bent under the joint to form a base plate extending from tie to tie and entirely across beneath the rail and beyond the opposite side thereof, an angle bar for the inside of the rail and having a flange with a. base portion resting on the extended base plate portion of the opposite angle iron, U bolts extending across beneath the rails on opposite sides of the joint and connecting the flanges'of the angle bars together, a rail anchor conforming in shape to the angle bar for the outside of `the joint and bearing thereagainst from base to top thereof, said anchor having a. horizontally extending portion provided Ywith holes for spiking to the tie, and securing bolts extending through the two angle bars, the

SLOAN A. JONES. 

